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Exit Interviews: Dixie's Used Furniture off exit 24 a family tradition

By STACIA FLEEGAL Daily Record/Sunday News

Updated:
03/01/2013 02:59:51 PM EST

From the left, Loretta and John Wagaman, who ran the furniture store from 1992-2000, Eddie and Dixie Wagaman, current owners, at Dixie's Furniture in Manchester Township. (DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS - PAUL KUEHNEL)

York, PA -

If you take Exit 24 off Interstate 83, you'll almost immediately see a convenience store, hotel and a few tractor-trailers -- the types of things you'd see just off many a highway exit.

But drive a little farther north on Route 181, into the village of Emigsville, and you'll find fewer chains. Instead, you'll discover a community peppered by locally owned businesses, such as Dixie's Used Furniture.

Beginning in the early '80s, the former grain mill was home to Hilda's Used Furniture. Ted and Hilda Ruth not only built a business, but a legacy that would span three generations. John and Loretta Wagaman took over running Hilda's in 1992 in a family mentorship of sorts.

While the store passed out of the family's hands for eight years beginning in 2000, it found its way back when the Wagamans decided to give furniture retail another try. John and Loretta's son, Eddie, took over with his wife, Dixie. With a new name and renewed vision, Eddie and Dixie's furniture store has been thriving ever since.

"We sought after the experience of our parents and their parents," Eddie said. He explained that the Wagaman expertise lies in their ability to recognize items with great appeal when they attend public auctions and estate sales.

A framed photo with luckly keepsakes behind the counter at Dixie's Furniture. Beginning in the early '80s, the former grain mill was home to Hilda's Used Furniture. Hilda and Ted Ruth (pictured) not only built a business, but a legacy that would span three generations. (DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS - PAUL KUEHNEL)

Dixie's is not a consignment shop. Inventory, which includes like-new and antique items, is comprised solely of finds from these sales. Upon entering the store, customers are greeted with an eclectic selection spanning three large rooms: a leather sectional sofa, a floral high-back chair, cherry curio cabinets, oak and pine dry sinks, complete bedroom suites and chairs of all imaginable finishes.

If you're a fan of unique, period piece furniture, you might strike gold at Dixie's. Eddie recently came across a chifferobe, a combination wardrobe dresser that was a staple to any early 20th century bedroom set. "Condition is key," Eddie said of their purchasing criteria.

While Eddie and Dixie have benefited from their parents' wisdom, knowing what will sell is a constant learning process.

"Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason" to what will move versus what will sit in the store for a while, Eddie said.

John agreed with his son: "One week is a good week, the next isn't. It's up and down, but we're happy."

One thing that the father and son say is consistent, though, is customer satisfaction. Both John and Eddie said that they receive many compliments from customers regarding not only the store's cleanliness, but also its selection.

Eddie proudly calls Dixie's a "ma and pa store" whose owners are willing to go above and beyond for their customers.

Sometimes, Eddie said, someone will come in to purchase a large piece of furniture and need a week to arrange transportation, or ask Eddie to hold an item until they can finish paying for it.

"We like to work with folks," Eddie said.

If a customer is looking for a particular item not in stock, Eddie will keep an eye out for it when he goes to sales.

The Wagamans love what they do, the people they meet and the community they've become a part of. Despite the recession, they said they've maintained a steady business.

"The road closing hurt us more," John said, referring to when North George Street closed last summer for construction of the bridge north of Emigsville in Manchester Township.

In an age of chains and franchises, the survival of a "ma and pa store" in an old feed mill during difficult times might be a sign that sometimes old is better than new.